National Republican., 1887-04-01
A washington Music Hall.

Though this community is proverbially
musical one, II ls a striking comment upon
the utter inadequacy of accommodation for
concert audiences that the Choral Society
of which we all feel so proud-fnds 1t i'm
possible to fix the date for the presentation
Of Dudley Bucks great oratorio, I" The
Light Of ASIA" famous composition
which has not yet been produced In the
United States. All the other large musical
societies Of the District are hampered In the
same way, and the best concert companies
OF New York and the great cities of the
country are prevented from visiting us
simply by the fact that we have no suitable
concert room or music hall. Previous
efforts have failed because they have miiuly
been undertaken by musical people-pro-
fessional or otherwise-and, with all re-
spect to the artists in melody or harmony,
It is well known that, like ''lttery fellers,"
budding journalists, and all other geniuses,
they are what the poet Horace called
"genus irritabile"-an irritable race.
1t is proposed that the new experiment
he first of all purely business enterprise,
managed entirely by business men OF expert
ence, and run as high-class house of mu
steal entertainment in the interest of the
shareholders and the public.
1t is not necessary to go far from home
for illustrations OF how financial success
may be achieved. The National Rifles
Hall, Of this city, though not built specific
ally for music hall, is o bonanza to the
proprietors, and has to be engaged months
beforehand for concert Or any other pur
poses. The Congregational Church, whether
from sacred or secular motives, has placed
an almost prohibitory rental upon the hall
and still the demand for engagements Il
very great, considering that popular feeling
is growing steadily against holding concerts
| in sacred buildings.
Going away from home we find that thu
great Music Hall OF Cincinnati is mine o.
wealth, and that the citizens of Pittsburg
who only "get left" on a particularly COLI
day, are building now a magnificent tempt
to "the concord of sweet sounds" whc'
they expect will pay as large dividend a
any other regular stock in the market
The musicians of this city are practically
agreed that we, too, should have grea
music hall which shall be financial sue
cess, another ornament to the city, and
training ground for local talent, as well a
field for the exhibition Of all good musi
from every source and every country.
We would venture to suggest that tt
location of such hall should be betwee
Ninth and Fifteenth streets, and Pennsy
vauia avenue and G street. Any place
this locality would be near all the lines
street cars. Such hall as we requi
should accommodate at least twenty
five hundred people. 1t should have
level floor so that it could be used for ge
mans and conventions, as Washington, ha
ing ceased to be the city of magnificent di
tances, has become the city Of national!
it expects rapidly to be Of International
conventions.
The exterior Of our hall can be plain, b'
the interior should be handsomely decorate
with the artistic skill and taste worthy
the science and art to which it is dedicate
and of the capital city, which can appre
: ate chaste beauty in her public buildings.
The roof should be very high, much aft
the pattern of the X street market plat
and there should be only one gallery
balcony, well elevated also, in order th
there should be no interference with
: acoustics, and that persons sitting und
such balcony might be able to hear as W
as in any other part Of the house.
But, above all, the hall should be &C
structed in accordance with the sound
principles Of acoustics, so that arti
should never be compelled to labor und
artificial disadvantages in addition to
u natural limitations which are frequent
stringent enough.
We have great pleasure in helping
: inaugurate this movement, and now Il
the ball has been set rolling, we have
u fear that our fellow-citizens will be, like
e countryman of Daniel O'Connell, {"
}, least bit backward in coming forward"